New York AG: Bronx Gas Station Charged $10 For Gallon Of Gas After Sandy

November 29, 2012

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman just announced that his office has notified 12 additional gas station owners of his intent to “commence enforcement proceedings” against them after he claims they jacked up prices after Hurricane Sandy.

In one case, the A.G. says, a gas station in the Bronx tried to charge a woman $50 for five gallons of gas.

New York’s price-gouging law prohibits merchants from taking unfair advantage of consumers by selling
goods or services for an “unconscionably excessive price” during an
“abnormal disruption of the market.”

A crippling hurricane certainly counts as an “abnormal disruption of the market.”

“Our
office will continue to take enforcement actions against price gougers
because ripping off New Yorkers is against the law,” Schneiderman says.
“We are actively investigating the hundreds of complaints we’ve received
from consumers of businesses preying on victims of Hurricane Sandy.
There must be no tolerance for unscrupulous individuals who take
advantage of New Yorkers trying to rebuild their lives.”

The Attorney General said there will be other notifications coming as the investigation into consumer complaints continues.

From the A.G.’s Office:

Among the current batch of 12 enforcement targets is a Mobil station
at 3424 East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx where a consumer waiting in
line for over an hour was just three cars from the pump when she was
told that she would be charged $50 for five gallons of gasoline – $10
per gallon. In contrast, stations nearby were charging $3.95 a gallon.

At a second station, the Coastal station at 1575 Route 112 in Port
Jefferson Station, a consumer reported being charged $4.69 per gallon of
gasoline while neighboring stations were charging between $3.69 and
$4.05. One consumer waited in line for over an hour and did not see a
sign detailing prices until after the attendant began pumping gas for
the customer.

The stations receiving notices from Attorney General Schneiderman include the following twelve stations:

Suffolk

Coastal

1575 Route 112

Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776

Consumer Complaint: 4.69/gallon

Nassau

BP

1009 St. Route 109

Farmingdale, NY 11755

Consumer Complaints: $4.71/gallon

Liberty Petroleum

1278 Hempstead Turnpike

Elmont, NY 11003

Consumer Complaint: $6.99/gallon

Ultra

3300 Hempstead Turnpike

Levittown, NY 11750

Consumer Complaint: $4.89/gallon

Staten Island

Rio

105 New Dorp Lane

Staten Island, NY 10306

Consumer Complaint: $4.89/gallon

Queens

Getty

141-50 Union Turnpike

Flushing, NY 11367

Consumer Complaint: $4.99/gallon

Gulf

60-90 Elliot Avenue

Maspeth, NY 11378

Consumer Complaint: $4.79/gallon (cash)/$4.89 (credit)

Shell

92-10 Astoria Boulevard

East Elmhurst, NY 11369

Consumer Complaints: ranging from $4.89-$7.90/gallon

Sunoco

18-84 Flushing Avenue

Ridgewood, NY 11385

Consumer Complaint: $7.25/gallon

Bronx

Mobil

3424 East Tremont Avenue

Bronx, NY 10465

Consumer Complaint: $10/gallon

Westchester:

Mobil

80 Bedford Road

Katonah, NY 10536

Consumer Complaint: $4.79/gallon

Mobil

189 Route 59

Spring Valley, NY 10977

Consumer Complaint: $4.65/gallon

The above prices are each for regular gasoline.

If you believe you are a victim of price gouging or a post-hurricane
scam contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Helpline at 800-771-7755 or
find a complaint form online at: www.ag.ny.gov